How to Begin Implement an Internal Protocols in NS3

To execute internal protocols using ns3 environment is robust tool for replicating the Interior Gateway Protocols (IGPs) in a single autonomous system (AS). General internal protocols are RIP (Routing Information Protocol) and OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) that enable routing among the devices within a network.

Below we see how to execute internal protocols using NS3, which directly supported for RIP and OSPF needs external integration or custom logic:

Steps to Begin Implement an Internet Protocols in NS3

1. Set Up ns3 Environment

1. Install ns3:
   • We can download and set up ns3 on the system.
   • Make sure that the installation with./waf –run hello-simulator.
2. Include Required Modules:
   • Confirm the necessary modules such as internet, point-to-point, and applications are contained.

2. Define Objectives for Internal Protocol Implementation

• Protocol Choice:
  • Make use of RIP for distance-vector routing.
  • OSPF used for link-state routing which needs custom configuration or external execution.
• Routing Performance:
  • Measure the routing performance metrics like route convergence, packet delivery, and protocol overhead.

3. Set Up Network Topology

1. Create Nodes:
   • In network, we describe the nodes with routers and hosts.

NodeContainer routers, hosts;

routers.Create(3); // Three routers

hosts.Create(2);   // Two hosts

1. Establish Links:
   • Apply  PointToPointHelper for linking the routers and hosts.

PointToPointHelper p2p;

p2p.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“10Mbps”));

p2p.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, StringValue(“2ms”));

NetDeviceContainer routerLink1 = p2p.Install(routers.Get(0), routers.Get(1));

NetDeviceContainer routerLink2 = p2p.Install(routers.Get(1), routers.Get(2));

NetDeviceContainer hostToRouter1 = p2p.Install(hosts.Get(0), routers.Get(0));

NetDeviceContainer hostToRouter2 = p2p.Install(hosts.Get(1), routers.Get(2));

1. Install Network Stack:
   • Integrate the network stack to the nodes.

InternetStackHelper internet;

internet.Install(routers);

internet.Install(hosts);

1. Assign IP Addresses:
   • Allocate a unique IP addresses to every single connection with Ipv4AddressHelper.

Ipv4AddressHelper ipv4;

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces1 = ipv4.Assign(routerLink1);

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.2.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces2 = ipv4.Assign(routerLink2);

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.3.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces3 = ipv4.Assign(hostToRouter1);

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.4.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces4 = ipv4.Assign(hostToRouter2);

4. Enable Internal Protocol
5. RIP Implementation

1. Enable RIP on Routers:
   • Set up RIP at every router using RipHelper.

RipHelper rip;

Ipv4ListRoutingHelper list;

list.Add(rip, 10); // Priority 10 for RIP

internet.SetRoutingHelper(list);

1. Install RIP Routing:
   • Leverage the RIP set up to every router nodes.

internet.Install(routers);

1. OSPF Implementation

1. Custom OSPF Setup:
   • While ns3 doesn’t directly support for OSPF, we can:
     • Prolong ns3 using a custom OSPF execution.
     • Add an external library like Quagga or FRRouting for simulating OSPF.
2. Routing Logic:
   • Execute OSPF-like logic to utilize static routes or custom link-state approaches.

5. Install Applications

1. Simulate Traffic:
   • Make traffic through the network to leverage the UDP applications.

UdpEchoServerHelper echoServer(9);

ApplicationContainer serverApps = echoServer.Install(hosts.Get(1)); // Server at Host 2

serverApps.Start(Seconds(1.0));

serverApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient(Ipv4Address(“10.1.4.1”), 9); // Target Server

echoClient.SetAttribute(“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue(20));

echoClient.SetAttribute(“Interval”, TimeValue(Seconds(1.0))); // Send every second

echoClient.SetAttribute(“PacketSize”, UintegerValue(1024));

ApplicationContainer clientApps = echoClient.Install(hosts.Get(0)); // Client at Host 1

clientApps.Start(Seconds(2.0));

clientApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

1. Monitor Traffic:
   • Examine incoming packets applying PacketSink.

PacketSinkHelper sinkHelper(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”,

InetSocketAddress(Ipv4Address::GetAny(), 9));

ApplicationContainer sinkApps = sinkHelper.Install(hosts.Get(1));

sinkApps.Start(Seconds(1.0));

sinkApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

6. Simulate and Test Network Behavior

1. Simulate Link Failures:
   • Inactivate a connection for monitoring the protocol convergence.

Simulator::Schedule(Seconds(5.0), &NetDevice::SetLinkDown, routerLink1.Get(1));

1. Restore Links:
   • After some time reinstate the link to experiment the retrieval.

Simulator::Schedule(Seconds(8.0), &NetDevice::SetLinkUp, routerLink1.Get(1));

7. Enable Tracing and Logging

1. Ascii Tracing:
   • Record all routing events and packet data.

AsciiTraceHelper ascii;

p2p.EnableAsciiAll(ascii.CreateFileStream(“internal-protocols.tr”));

1. PCAP Tracing:
   • Seizure packets using Wireshark tools for analysis.

p2p.EnablePcapAll(“internal-protocols”);

1. FlowMonitor:
   • Observe the traffic parameters like latency and throughput to leverage FlowMonitor.

FlowMonitorHelper flowmon;

Ptr<FlowMonitor> monitor = flowmon.InstallAll();

8. Run the Simulation

1. Start the Simulation:

Simulator::Run();

Simulator::Destroy();

1. Export Results:
   • For in-depth analysis, we need to store FlowMonitor outcomes.

monitor->SerializeToXmlFile(“internal-protocols-results.xml”, true, true);

9. Analyze and Visualize Results

1. Traffic Analysis:
   • Estimate the performance parameters with FlowMonitor or PCAP files.
2. NetAnim Visualization:
   • Transfer the simulation data to envision in NetAnim tools.

AnimationInterface anim(“internal-protocols.xml”);

10. Extend and Optimize

1. Scalability:
   • Maximize the volume of nodes and also estimate the performance of protocol within larger networks.
2. Dynamic Topologies:
   • Experiment the robustness of protocol within networks including often link/node modifications.
3. Performance Comparison:
   • Equate the performance of RIP and OSPF in diverse network scenarios.
4. Advanced Routing:
   • Incorporate dynamic parameters such as bandwidth and delay to advanced routing decisions.

Example Use Cases

• Data Center Routing:
  • Experiment an internal protocols in a data center for efficient data flow.
• Enterprise Networks:
  • Mimic RIP/OSPF for routing within corporate networks.
• IoT Networks:
  • For simple routing, we can utilize RIP in low-power networks.

We had presented simple approach with sample code outline and core concepts are very useful to implement and examine the Internal Protocols in NS3 environment. If you want any more details on this subject, we will also be provided it.